I had heard about this author before, and I decided to try one of his books.

This was a Mrs Pargeter mystery, and it was a fun, entertaining read. I warmed to Mrs Pargeter, and the other characters, and I did find this book quite funny. It was a very light, easy read too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

My first visit to Mrs P's world for quite a few books (and a year or two) and I had forgotten how much fun it is. I think she's got a bit younger since the series started, and some of the things about her have adjusted a bit - but no more than Charles Paris has with his floating timeline over the years. It's funny and I enjoyed the twists of the plot. It's sent me back to read some more from earlier in the series.

Thanks to Severn House & NetGalley for ARC.

It's tricky to come into a series well into it, particularly with an author as prolific as this one. There are comforting sketches of the main supporting characters, and in jokes for the in crowd. All of that fails to spoil the enjoyment of this cosy tale of dirty deeds, set in the deliberately innocent world of the widow of a businessman whose old cronies all just happen to have been unlucky with the law.
There is considerable skill on display here, keeping the tone just the right side of arch, keeping the humour light, and nothing too realistic. Thoroughly enjoyable sun lounger or patio read, or even a wet weekend one.

I love Simon Brett’s crime novels but hadn’t read any of his Mrs Pargeter novels before. From the first page, I was sure we would get on. Any woman who would much rather go out to eat than cook herself is a woman after my own heart.
This is a lovely cosy mystery with all of Simon Brett’s usual care with the characters and plotting. The mystery unfolds beautifully as Mrs Pargeter, with the help of her deceased husband’s associates, works out how the body got under her patio. It’s a light-hearted mystery and definitely requires some suspension of belief as there is always someone with the precise skills required who is only too happy to help after just a phone call.
However, what worked less well for me was the character of Mrs Pargeter herself. She felt very dated and I felt that she would have been much happier in a novel written 50 years ago. In fact, the whole set up of her husband’s connections and book of useful contacts didn’t really seem to belong in a book set in the 21st century.
This was an easy, entertaining read but not one of my favourites by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My first read of Simon Brett's books. How can you not like Mrs Pargeter? What a fascinating character. I did enjoy reading this book, it's light, amusing , with characters so cleverly portrayed.. I shall look for more of Mrs P.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

This is my first encounter with Mrs. Pargeter but will now be checking out the other's. The story is
a well plotted and full of humour the character's are quirky and fun. All in all a good different take on a mystery. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really like the humour and no-nonsense of Mrs Pargeter and her various colleagues! There’s an excellent array of names and skills displayed! A fun, easy read that was a nice way to spend a Sunday.

This is my first encounter with Mrs. Pargeter and it will not be my last! I have already reserved the first at my library! This trio is not one to be missed! You fall for the characters! Props!!

A good easy holiday read, ideal for the plane or beach. Well plotted, amusing characters and all good, clean fun. Thanks to Severn House, Canonate and Netgalley for a pre=pubication copy. I enjoyed it during a sail "doon the watter" to Rothesay for a sunny day out on the Isle of Bute. It exactly fitted the scene.

This the first novel I have read with Mrs Pargeter and I would happily look for more. She is a force to be reckoned with! She definitely has interesting connections and a unique way of getting answers! It’s a good storyline and not too complicated so easy to follow.

I've enjoyed some of the Charles Parris stories on radio so thought I'd give this atry.
Not for me though, far too arch and whimsical, and too many "nagging thoughts that she'd missed something" leading to a breakthrough.
The constant use of the nicknames was irritating as well.
I'm being generous with 3*

This book is a hoot. That Mrs. Pargeter pretends to herself and others that she has no idea that her deceased husband was a crook, despite using his rogues gallery address book as required, sets up some delightful humour. The plot line is well crafted and unpredictable. However, the outstanding feature is the warmth in the writing towards the various characters. There is only one true villain amongst them but who is it?

This is an enjoyable cosy crime story that grew on me as I read. It's part of a series, but fortunately I didn't feel like I had missed out in not reading the previous stories first.
I felt it was a little slow to get going, and although I liked Mrs P there were just a couple of moments when I wasn't sure the character stayed true.
But I enjoyed the plot and the many and various side characters, making this a good holiday read.

This is a little gem of a book. The eponymous Mrs Pargeter is a widow who is naively ignorant of the dubious source of her late husband’s wealth but is nevertheless mindful of his lifelong aversion to involving the police in his affairs. When a body is discovered under the patio of her Essex mansion, Mrs Pargeter naturally turns to the contacts in Mr Pargeter’s little black book to discover the identity of the body and what it is doing under her patio. The light hearted, witty and entertaining tale that unfolds has a clever plot, a cast of memorable characters (including the wonderfully named Truffler Mason, Fixin’ Nixon, Jukebox Jarvis, Melting Maurice, Handbags Harrison and Tina The Transformer) and a neat, if slightly predictable, ending.

I recommend this book as a very good holiday read.

A very good read in the same grouping as Richard Osman's 'Thursday' books
An interesting bunch of characters who prove that past crimes do pay except for the unmasked few at the end.
The book never ambles nor does it contain over-descriptive paragraphs
Highly recommended.

This is the ninth book in the series although the first one that I have read. The summary piqued my interest as it suggested a light hearted, entertaining murder mystery with some quirky characters. This may have been the first that I’ve read in this series but it will not be the last!

The main character, Mrs Pargeter, is a well off widow, brimming with confidence and with lots of contacts for all sorts of occasions in a little black book left by her husband. Mr Pargeter was clearly a villain but kept home and ‘work’ separate to such an extent that his widow appears to be oblivious of his shady dealings. In this book she discovers a body under her patio and being keen not to inconvenience the police she launches into investigating the case. She is aided in this with reformed associates from her husbands past ‘business’ dealings. There is a cast of delightful characters such as Perigine Oscar Nixon aka ‘Fixin’ Nixon who can find a solution to anything and Tina the Transformer whose makeup and artistic skills can transform people into new characters.

The dialogue is witty and the story is engaging throughout with twists and turns to maintain the mystery and excitement. If you like a light hearted entertaining read then this book delivers that.

'Mrs Pargeter's Patio' is a very witty and acerbic tale which is thoroughly enjoyable!
When Mrs Pargeter's morning coffee on the patio is disturbed by the emergence of a human skull from the ground, she sets out on a quest to discover who the victim is, and how he came to be buried under her patio. Aided and abetted by a very colourful collection of cronies, Mrs Pargeter's mission is a very entertaining cosy mystery which keeps the reader guessing right til the end. Although this book is part of a series, it definitely could be read as a stand alone story as all back story is well explained. Enjoy!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn Books for the review copy.

Mrs Pargeter is a comely widow of a certain age and who worships the memory of the late Mr Pargeter. One morning her patio gives way beneath her and she can just see part of a skull in the hole. Before reporting this to the police, she calls on her late husband’s ‘ business associates’ to do some investigating, one of whom is a Private Investigator, Truffle Mason.

What follows is an engaging romp with a cast of characters with unlikely names, all of whom owe some kind of debt of gratitude to the late Mr Pargeter. His widow is unaware of his past but accepts that many of these have specialist skills connected to past criminality. These are to come in handy as the investigation into murder proceeds. So who did it? And who put the body under the patio? Above all, the late ‘great’ Mr Pargeter must be beyond suspicion.

This is a quick, satisfying read. All loose ends are drawn together. Ideal for a holiday read as not much in the way of brain power needed.

I recommend this book which was provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

This is the first one I've read in this series, and i'm sorry to say that its just not for me. Gimmicky nicknames which just grated on me, and an unlikeable main character. I am clearly not the right reader for this series.

I havent read any of Simon Brett's books before, but, with another rainy summer day outside, it was lovely to curl up with a "cosy murder". It was a gentle read full of characters with ludicrous names and hearts of gold, where the goodies win and the baddies get their comeuppance, but not too graphically.
I think I may be keeping one of the series on my bedside table ready for the next time I need a gently humorous read.
Thank you to netgalley and Severn house for an advance copy of this book